Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Dick Durbin of Illinois are investigating allegations of torture and other forms of abuse swirling around one of the most notorious jails used in the Trump administration’s racist anti-immigrant crackdown.

The senators sent a letter to newly installed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, as part of an official inquiry into allegations of torture at the detention facility that President Donald Trump and his allies have marketed as “Alligator Alcatraz.” The letter specifically cites concerns — first raised by Amnesty International — that detainees have been held in a small box and subjected to brutal conditions.

Brutality has been a primary selling point for the facility’s existence, as far as the president and his allies are concerned. Trump has repeatedly made sadistic comments fantasizing about immigrants escaping, only to encounter alligators on the outside. And the administration has used violent threats and lore as an anti-immigrant deterrent elsewhere, too.

In their letter, Ossoff and Durbin wrote:

There have been credible allegations that detainees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ have been punished with confinement in a small cage-like structure known as ‘the box,’ where they are held in stress positions with hands and feet tightly shackled for hours at a time, in direct sunlight with no access to food or water. These conditions reportedly suffered by detainees, as alleged, appear to violate Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detention standards and the United Nations Convention Against Torture. We therefore urgently seek information from DHS and ICE about the purported use of ‘the box.’ If ‘the box’ is in use, we urge DHS and ICE to immediately cease its use and prevent detainees from being subjected to torture.

The treatment described bears remarkable similarity to boxes that were used to torture slaves in the United States in the 1800s.

Durbin and Ossoff noted in their letter that detainees have also faced other forms of abuse:

Numerous reports of poor conditions and abuse at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ have surfaced since its opening in July 2025, including lack of food and access to reliable medical care, challenges accessing legal counsel, and other human rights concerns. However, recent reports of ‘the box’ stand out as particularly egregious.

Their letter also mentions reports of people facing high temperatures and humidity while in the box — as well as “horsefly-size mosquitos.”

The senators are demanding details on the use of the box “or any similar device or mechanism used to place detained individuals in solitary confinement for the purposes of punishment or discipline.” They also want answers as to whether noncitizens being detained at the Florida facility are being watched by federal or state officials, and what steps are in place for detained people to file complaints.

The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to questions about the box and the senators’ investigation.

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